Schrodinger’s Cat may be one of the most famous cats to have never existed at all beyond a thought experiment. In case you’re not familiar with Schrodiner’s Cat, the idea is that a cat is trapped in a box with a 50-50 chance of being alive or dead. The thought experiment says that the cat’s real state is never determined until someone actually lifts the lid to the box and peeks inside.

Originally when introduced, Schrodinger’s Cat was just a minor footnote in a scientific paper about quantum physics. Eighty years later, Schrodinger’s Cat has embedded itself into our culture.

The next time you look at your cat and see that it’s alive, it may be because you looked at it correctly. Then again just remember that every time your cat looks at you, your life could be in balance if your cat doesn’t like what he or she sees.

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